AlterEighteen: I'll Be Your Hero
by Karen11
Summary: An different take on how Wolverine and Rogue met.
1. When Travel Plans Go Awry

Title: Alter-Eighteen: I'll Be Your Hero  
  
Author: Karen  
  
Email: kittenrescue@hotmail.com  
  
Rating: R  
  
Disclaimer: Terri holds the patent on the Alter-Eighteen series. Marvel, Fox, etc own the rights to the characters we all mess with. I'm only playing with them long enough to leave my sticky fingerprints. Oh, you say you don't want them back?   
  
Feedback: Second only to ice cream.  
  
Summary: An AU take on events in the movie.  
  
Special thanks to Terri for letting me play in her sandbox. She'd asked me about 'guest' authoring an Alter-Eighteen, but I'd always balked. I mean we're talking about the inimitable Terri here! To say I was intimidated is an understatement. But Lateo and Victoria had blazed the trail for me and given me the confidence to dip my own toes into the sandbox. I hope you won't be disappointed in my contribution to such a wonderful series. To read Terri's Alter-Eighteen series, visit the Peep Hut:   
  
http://www.peephut.org/fic/i-alter18.html  
  
~ Alter-Eighteen: I'll Be Your Hero ~  
  
Marie's POV  
  
After eight months on the road I'd finally found a place to stay long enough to actually unpack. I had a job, a studio apartment and acquaintances that didn't ask questions I didn't want to answer anyway. I say acquaintances because they certainly weren't what I'd deem friends. Friends were people who cared about you, a trait I definitely couldn't assign to anyone I'd encountered in the last year. So I had those three things: job, place to live and acquaintances. Life was okay, not great, not bad, just okay and that worked for me. Unfortunately, my status quo was about to be shaken up. I'd had four months of relative peace and quiet and I don't know when I'd become complacent enough to think it would continue. *He* blew into my life like an unexpected storm - all thunder and turbulence, the kind of storm that trashed everything in its way and then blew out again, just as quickly, usually leaving behind a path of mass devastation for someone else to clean up.   
  
It was a typical Saturday night at the bar where I was a waitress. The crowd was, in no particular order, rowdy, ugly and drunk. I'd fended off the usual butt pinchers and boob gropers. I'd caught a couple too cheap to spring for a motel room using the ladies' room. Just your usual Saturday night at the Lion's Den. There was nothing out of the ordinary to warn me of the life changing events that would soon unfold.  
  
It was already late in the evening when *he* strolled in looking for a fight and probably a fuck. I took one look at him and knew he'd get plenty of offers for both. He was not only the best looking man I'd ever seen walk into this dump, but probably the best looking man I'd ever seen period. When he stripped off his shirts to go into the cage I thought I'd puddle right then and there. I glanced over at Jack the bartender who pantomimed panting. I gave him the finger and stuck out my tongue.  
  
The Wolverine, that was his name, quickly and effortlessly dispatched challenger after challenger. He actually looked kinda bored, as one moron after another seemed eager to part with their money. Between rounds I delivered shots of whiskey to him, he grunted at me and blatantly stared at my boobs. I'd bet he couldn't have told anyone what color my eyes were, if there'd been a gun to his head. I didn't figure him for a gentleman, but honestly, that was just a little rude.   
  
After we'd closed and managed to flush everyone out, the Wolverine sauntered over to the bar to collect his winnings. I was sitting a few stools down counting my tips and sipping from a cup of decaf. He lit up a cigar, ordered a beer from Jack and glanced my way. I pretended not to notice, even when he kept glancing my way. When I looked up in time to catch him taking a peek, he winked at me lasciviously. Apparently he hadn't found anyone he considered fuckable and was under the impression that I might be willing to fill that particular void. Yeah, pal you're real hot looking and I bet you're a dynamo in the sack, but I'm not into being fucked and forgotten. It's not my life's ambition to be the latest notch on your bedpost. Sorry, pal, better luck next bar stool.  
  
Jack asked me if I'd be willing to work for the next week at his friend Bob's place up near Manning. One of Bob's regular waitresses had come down with the flu and he was desperate for help. Bob offered to pay me double my salary plus tips, too good of an opportunity to turn down. Jack's wife, Nancy said she'd cover for me while I was gone, so the deal was made. I went home to pack while Jack arranged for me to catch a ride with one of the truckers heading north.   
  
When I got back to the bar, Jack pointed at my ride - the Wolverine. He had to be kidding. I turned to look at Jack, my mouth hanging agape, my eyes asking the obvious question.   
  
"There wasn't anyone else left that was heading north, Rogue," Jack said almost apologetically then added, "Besides, I think he kinda likes you."  
  
I just groaned. Manning is three hours away, four if the weather isn't cooperating. Visions of what I'd like to spend all that extra money on suddenly not so appealing anymore. However, I'd already made the commitment to Bob and I liked to consider myself an honorable person. Jack gave me a wink and I jokingly mouthed the words 'fuck you' to him. The Wolverine gave me a thorough head-to-toe once over and smirked. The smug bastard actually smirked. I slung my duffel bag over my shoulder and reluctantly followed him outside. Jack is so dead when I get back.   
  
The Wolverine's wheels were a broken down truck with a camper shell on the back.  
  
"I bet I could jog faster than that thing moves," I teased.  
  
"Hey, if you'd prefer to walk to Manning, by my guest," the Wolverine growled at me.  
  
"Sorry," I said, "didn't realize you were Mr. Sensitive." I wouldn't have pegged him for someone whose feelings got bruised easily. Go figure.   
  
"Get in the truck and shut up, not necessarily in that order," he ordered. The hint of a smile at one corner of his mouth made me realize he was playing with me.   
  
I couldn't decide whether I wanted to smack him or jump him. Yeah, this was gonna be an interesting trip for sure. Little did I know what an understatement that would turn out to be. I climbed in, fastened my seatbelt and we took off without further incident. We'd been driving for about an hour, neither of us saying a word, when my stomach growled loud enough to disturb the uncomfortable silence.   
  
"You don't have anything to eat, do you?"   
  
He leaned over to the glove box, pulled out a bag of beef jerky and handed it to me.  
  
"Thanks," I said politely before taking off my gloves and shoveling pieces of dehydrated beef into my mouth.  
  
"I'm Rogue, by the way," I offered.  
  
"Yeah, I know," he replied, "I read your nametag back at the Lion's Den."  
  
Oh, right. Of course he'd noticed the nametag, it had been just above one of my boobs. Just then I noticed a dog tag hanging on a chain around his neck.  
  
"Were you in the army? Doesn't...Doesn't that mean you were in the army?" I asked, attempting conversation.  
  
He gave me a weird look and tucked the tag under his shirt. Fine, don't talk about it. I turned to look behind me into the camper. What a complete pit. Must have been the maid's year off.   
  
"Wow." Was all I could think to say.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Suddenly my life doesn't look that bad."  
  
"Changed your mind about walking to Manning?"  
  
"Sorry," I said, trying to recover before he dumped me by the side of the road, "It looks great.........it looks cozy."   
  
When he looked at me again, he noticed that I was rubbing my hands together. So he fiddled with a control on the dashboard and reached over to take my hand.  
  
"Here, put your hands on the heater."  
  
I jerked away from his outstretched hand, out of his reach.  
  
"I'm not gonna hurt you, kid."  
  
  
  
"It's nothing personal. It's just that... when people touch my skin, something happens."  
  
"What?" he asked curiously.  
  
"I don't know. They just get hurt," I replied.  
  
"Fair enough."  
  
Yeah, sorry to ruin your plans, pal.   
  
"So, what kind of a name is Rogue?"  
  
Okay, so now we're back to small talk. "I don't know. What kind of a name is Wolverine?"  
  
"Name's Logan."  
  
"Marie."   
  
Why'd I tell him that?   
  
"You know, you should wear your seat belt," I continued, seeing as we're playing   
  
nice.   
  
"Look, kid. I don't need advice on auto safety from......"   
  
I was just about to interrupt him to let him know that his constantly referring to me as a kid was insulting, especially as I was fairly certain he'd fuck me given half an opportunity. You just don't call someone you wanna diddle 'kid', it's just plain creepy. Unless he was some kind of pedophile that liked young girls to call him daddy in bed. Anyway, I never got the opportunity because a tree timbered over in front of us and we collided with it, sending my unseatbelted chauffeur flying through the windshield and about a hundred yards down the road. I reached to unlatch my own seatbelt, but it appeared to be jammed. Just then Logan stood up as if nothing had happened and walked toward the truck. He had a couple of open wounds on his face that healed right before my eyes.   
  
"Kid, are you alright?" He called out to me.  
  
"I'm stuck!" I screamed as I noticed the propane tank in the back of the camper had burst into flames.  
  
He continued toward the truck, then suddenly stopped and sniffed the air. Whatever he smelled apparently wasn't friendly 'cause he unsheathed six lethal-looking blades from between his knuckles. Great, I've been traveling with Ginsu Man, someone remind me to stay on his good side. From out of the trees to the right of the truck sprang this behemoth of a man with long blonde hair, claw-like nails, fangs, and no fashion sense. Either Halloween had come early to Alberta or this guy's a mutant. He picked Logan up and effortlessly tossed him into the nearest tree. When Logan stood up the guy grabbed him and flung him at the truck like a rag doll. Logan landed on the hood hard enough for it to knock him out cold. The weirdo was headed toward the truck, looking at me with way too much interest. Hey, good time to go comatose on me, Logan.  
  
All of the sudden a large gust of wind appeared out of nowhere. Just down the road I saw two figures dressed in black. The wind was coming from their general direction. The missing link turned in the direction of the source of the mysterious weather pattern and dove for the trees just as a beam of red light flashed this way, barely missing him. The two figures approached the truck and I saw that they're both dressed in head-to-toe black leather. Kinky. The woman had long white hair and the man was wearing some type of weird visor. I suspected they weren't Jehovah's Witnesses. The woman opened the door of the truck, saw that I was struggling with the seatbelt, stepped aside and her companion blasted the buckle with a beam of red light from his visor. The woman then pulled me free and scooted me to the side of the road, while her friend dragged Logan off the hood and to safety just as the truck blew up.  
  
The next few hours are a blur. I found myself taken by jet to a mansion I'm told was a school in Westchester, New York. I'd spent eight months traveling across Canada to get as far as Laughlin City and in a couple of hours I'm practically back to square one. Perfect. I'll have to call Jack and let him know what's happened, not that he has a private jet to come pick me up and take me back to Alberta, but it wouldn't be right to just not show up at Bob's place without explanation. What do I tell Jack? I've been kidnapped by a bunch of freaks? I've seen what blows through Laughlin City; Jack may not be so shocked by this little group.  
  
I was shown into the office of Professor Charles Xavier, the founder of the school. Good, straight to the top. He can just instruct Mr. Red Eye Beam to get back in that nifty plane and take me right back to where he found me or preferably to Manning. I asked about Logan and was informed that he's in the medlab receiving the necessary medical attention. I'm also told that the resident physician, a Dr. Jean Grey had ordered no visitors. Already I don't like her.  
  
The Professor is waving a sheet of paper at me as I sat down in front of his desk.  
  
"This is a missing person's report," he explained.  
  
So. Nobody's looking for me. Or so I thought.  
  
"Yeah, and?" I replied.  
  
"Your parents are very worried about you, Marie."  
  
Shit. "I'm not a runaway," I informed him.  
  
"According to this fax, your parents reported you missing from Meridian, Mississippi nearly a year ago. Are you going to sit there and tell me that you're not the Marie Frasier in this photograph?" he said as he flipped the paper over for me to see my own smiling face in my eleventh grade school picture staring back at me.  
  
"I didn't run away," I began to explain, "Unless you defined having my bags packed, being given a few hundred bucks and told never to darken their doorstep again as running away."  
  
"They reported you missing to the police. Why would they do that if they not only knew you were leaving, but were actually the ones to turn you out?" The Professor questioned unbelievingly.  
  
"For appearances. How would it look to the neighbors, if they all knew they'd kicked me out? It was better to make me look the bad one. The ungrateful one. They could play the part of the distraught parents whose much-loved child had abandoned them, instead of the other way around."  
  
"I've already been in contact with them and they informed me that because you'd run away several times, they'd been planning on putting you in a boarding school before you took off the last time."  
  
"That's a lie."  
  
"I've offered to let you stay here. We have many troubled children and we're quite well equipped to handle such situations."  
  
"Well-equipped better include handcuffs, tranquilizer darts, and heavy-duty deadbolts, 'cause that's the only way you're gonna keep me here."   
  
"Marie, I'm afraid you don't have any choice in the matter. Your parents are faxing over the documentation granting me legal guardianship."  
  
I wasn't going back to Alberta. At least not anytime in the foreseeable future. Shit, hell, and damn.   
  
"I have someone I need to call in Canada. Someone who'll be worried when I don't show up where I was supposed to be. The big ape with the bad wardrobe and an attitude problem sorta changed my travel plans."  
  
"Of course."   
  
I'd just tell Jack that I'd be back as soon as I could formulate an escape plan. Logan didn't seem like the kind of person who'd wanna stay at this twisted version of the Holiday Inn either, so maybe he could sneak me out one night with him. Mr. Tall Dark and Gorgeous suddenly looked the better option right now. I was just gonna have to go down to that medlab and have a little talk with him, Dr. Grey's decree notwithstanding.  
  
At the same time I was having my little chat with the Professor, Logan was lying on a bed in the medlab about to be felt up by Dr. Grey, who would turn out to be a major thorn in my side. 


	2. A Surreal Turn of Events

Author's notes: Magellan is the Portuguese explorer (1480 - 1521) noted for being the first person to circumnavigate the globe. Alex Trebek is the host of the American game show "Jeopardy".  
  
Logan's POV  
  
My first reaction when I became aware that someone was attempting to stick a needle in me was to make them stop and then get the hell out of there. I leapt off the table and got Vampira in a choke hold long enough to make my escape. I then charged around in some corridors that looked suspiciously like a research facility until I took an elevator to another floor and found myself in what appeared to be a hotel of some type. To say I was more than a little confused by this point was an understatement. I darted into one of the rooms to find a bald guy sitting behind a desk and a bunch of kids staring at me. The bald guy dismissed the kids and they quickly left, one of 'em without bothering to open the door first.   
  
"Good morning, Logan," the bald guy said, "I'm Professor Charles Xavier. Would you like some lunch?"  
  
No, I would, however, like some fucking answers.  
  
"Where am I?" I asked, cutting to the chase.  
  
"Westchester, New York. You're at my school for the gifted. For mutants, actually. You were attacked and my people brought you here for medical attention."  
  
"I don't need medical attention."   
  
"Yes, of course."  
  
Okay, buddy enough with the small talk. "Where's the girl?" I demanded.  
  
"Rogue? She's here. She's fine."   
  
"I wanna see her." I wasn't about to take his word for it.  
  
"She's in class right now. You can see her later. I assure you she's perfectly fine."  
  
"She better be."  
  
"What exactly is your relationship to Rogue?"   
  
"That's none of your damn business."  
  
"I'm afraid it is, Logan. I ran a routine background check on her and discovered she's a runaway. I've already been in contact with her parents and they've given me legal guardianship over her. As she's now my ward, I think I have the right to know what your relationship is to a seventeen year-old girl."  
  
"What did she tell you?"  
  
"I was asking you."  
  
Okay, I'll give him a morsel of information. "I'm not her lover, if that's what you wanna know."  
  
"Yes, that certainly does ease my mind a little."  
  
He still looked at me suspiciously. I think he understood that if I wanted to be her lover, I wouldn't let him stop me. I decided it was time to veer the conversation away from my love life.   
  
"What was the deal with the overgrown housecat that attacked us?"  
  
"His name is Sabretooth and he's an associate of a very powerful mutant by the name of Magneto, although why he attacked you remains a mystery."  
  
"Sabretooth? Magneto? So what's your secret code name? Wheels?"  
  
"Yes, that's very witty, Wolverine," Chuck replied slyly.   
  
"What is this place anyway?" I asked him, remembering the girl who walked through the door.  
  
"Let me give you a tour," he offered, "We can check in on your 'friend'." I noticed the emphasis on the word friend, guess he's still not sure if I told him the truth or not about the girl.  
  
I let him give me a guided tour of the place. He introduced me to the two who'd brought us here, Scott Summers or Cyclops - wonder if that constipated look was permanent, and Ororo Monroe or Storm - weird hair, nice rack. He showed me that Marie appeared to be okay and that she'd been dumped into a class already. She looked about as thrilled to be here as I was. I accepted Chuck's offer to stay for a few days. I didn't have anywhere I needed to be and I could find out what Marie wanted to do and get her out of here if she's not on board with the whole school for mutants scenario. Jean, the doctor who I'd choked earlier had recovered enough to show me to a guest room and flirted outrageously in the process. She also questioned me about my relationship with Marie. Christ these people sure are nosey.  
  
"I had a little chat with Rogue while I was doing her routine exam, I think she's a little taken with you," she told me.   
  
"Yeah, well I'm a lot taken with her, so that works out rather well doesn't it?"  
  
She was pissed off at that comment, if the pinched look was any indication. Red certainly was a looker and at any other time I'd have been making a move on her, but I was only interested in one female at the moment and she wasn't it. Cyclops, apparently, was Red's boyfriend and he immediately got the wrong impression when he saw us together in the bedroom. Her excusing herself hastily compounded the guilty atmosphere, but maybe that's what she was aiming for because he warned me to stay away from his girl. Listen, asshole, she's cute, but not every guy who crosses her path is gonna fall at her feet. Didn't you pay attention to the one I came in with? Though I might keep flirting with Red just to piss him off, as I needed some entertainment and he looked easy to provoke.   
  
  
  
"Where've you put the girl?" I asked him as he was leaving.  
  
"She's down the hall sharing a room with a couple of the other students. I don't think I need to remind you that her room is off limits," he warned.   
  
First they told me that Marie is a minor, therefore, I need to keep my hands to myself and then they put me in a room just a few doors down from hers. That's like hiring a pyromaniac to be a security guard at a fireworks factory, handing him a book of matches and telling him to behave.  
  
As I didn't have anything to unpack, I decided to go find Marie. I found her with two other girls about her age; one was dressed in bright yellow with huge sunglasses perched on her head and the other one was the girl who'd walked through the door earlier in Chuck's office.   
  
"Logan!" Marie screamed when she saw me and launched herself into my arms, much to the surprise of her little friends, who just stood there with their mouths hanging open. To be honest, it surprised me, too, but I wasn't about to complain.   
  
"I'm so glad you're okay," Marie said, running gloved hands over my face, "I was so pissed off when Dr. Grey wouldn't let me visit you."   
  
Just then Windy or whatever her name was came out of the classroom and I realized that Marie was still in my arms with her legs wrapped around my waist. I put Marie down as the teacher glared at me with daggers.   
  
"Mrs. Chambers made chocolate cake. Why don't the three of you run along to the kitchen while I speak to Logan," she said in a tone that was more of a command than a suggestion.  
  
Marie blew me a kiss she made sure Windy noticed, before she took off for the kitchen.   
  
"Listen, Windy, before you give me a lecture, too, don't bother."  
  
"It's Storm," she corrected, "and I wanted you to know that Scott, Jean and I don't believe it's a good idea that you stay here. We have a lot of vulnerable young girls here and......"  
  
"Listen, Storm!" I snapped, "I'm not a fucking pedophile. Until your Professor told me how old she really was, I assumed she was an adult. When I met her she was working in a bar."  
  
I decided that this conversation was over and walked away from her before she could say another word. After a few wrong turns, Christ this place is huge, I finally found the kitchen. Marie was sitting at the table digging into a gigantic slab of cake. She took a chug of her milk and looked up at me with a milk moustache, which I wanted to lick off. She wiped her mouth with a napkin, flashed me a million-watt smile and I found myself grinning back at her. She formally introduced me to her roommates, Kitty and Jubilee. I mumbled "Hi", but couldn't think of anything else to say to them. Marie was the only teenager I was interested in getting to know better.  
  
"You're gonna ruin your appetite for dinner," I said, for lack of anything better to say.  
  
"Yes, daddy," she replied saucily, which garnered a strange look from the woman I assumed was Mrs. Chambers.  
  
"Oh, I didn't realize your father was with you, my dear," Mrs. Chambers said.  
  
"She's just kidding," I told her, "I'm not really her father."   
  
"Nah, he's actually my lover. Aren't you, sugar?"  
  
I fixed her with a look that said, 'I'm gonna take you over my knee and spank you.'   
  
She'd definitely relaxed her attitude toward me and I wasn't about to protest. I was just gonna go with the flow.  
  
"I promised Chuck I'd submit to some medical tests, but I'll catch up with you later, okay?" I said, changing the subject.  
  
"You gonna give Dr. Grey another opportunity to feel you up?" Marie said with a hint of irritation in her voice.  
  
I musta smiled weird or something 'cause Marie suddenly looked more than a little irritated, she looked downright pissed off. The little tease was jealous.  
  
"It's just some tests, Marie," I felt the need to explain, "I ain't gonna fuck her or anything."  
  
"Are you telling me that if she fell over on her back with her legs in the air, you'd say 'thanks, but no thanks'? Liar!"   
  
She threw down her fork and stomped out of the kitchen, with me chasing after her like a whipped dog. I easily caught up with her and spun her around to face me.  
  
"What the fuck was that little tantrum about?" I demanded.  
  
"I had to submit to a medical exam too, and Dr. Grey asked me if I was still a virgin. So when I told her that yes I was, she laughed and said she figured you weren't my lover, because a man like you would never be interested in a kid like me."  
  
That fucking bitch! Suddenly I was no longer sorry that I'd bruised her earlier.   
  
"What else did she tell you, Marie?"  
  
"She said that you flirted with her, that obviously you wanted her, and that it was only a matter of time before you'd be fucking each other's brains out."  
  
"Look, Marie, I don't know why she told you that bullshit, but it's not true. I'm not interested in screwing her," I reassured her, "it's you I want."  
  
"Me?"  
  
"Yeah, since the minute I laid eyes on you back in Laughlin City," I told her as I gathered her toward me.   
  
"But, my skin......"  
  
"Baby, there are a lot of creative ways around that and I'd like the opportunity to show you."  
  
I was just about to lean in for a quick kiss, when her two new friends came bounding down the hall, so I whispered in her ear, "Come to my room tonight after everyone's asleep."  
  
She nodded in acknowledgement and allowed herself to be dragged off.   
  
I glanced over at the neon light of the clock on the nightstand - 11:45 pm. Where was Marie? Maybe she'd changed her mind, gotten scared. My eyes were growing heavy. Come on, baby, where are you?  
  
I was submerged in a tank of green liquid, lines marked my body like a map and there were people surrounding the tank drinking champagne. What were they celebrating ~ drowning me? A guy wearing a surgical mask descended on me with a needle about a foot long.   
  
I bolted upright, prepared to fight, but when I opened my eyes instead of the guy in the mask impaled on my claws, it's Marie. Oh, my God, it's Marie! What have I done? I retracted the claws immediately and Marie staggered a little.  
  
"Help me......Somebody HELP!" I heard myself yell.  
  
Oh, God, baby, I'm sorry. Just then she reached out to touch my face and I felt it, this pain, like I was being drained of all my energy. I watched the wounds I'd inflicted begin to heal and saw Jean come charging into the room. It's the last thing I remembered before the blackness overtook me.  
  
When I opened my eyes again, I was back in my bed and Chuck was sitting to my right.  
  
"What happened? Is she all right?" I managed to ask.  
  
"She's fine," Chuck replied.  
  
Jesus, is that his standard answer? I attempted to raise myself up to get out of the bed. I gotta go check on her for myself. She's probably scared shitless. She probably needed me.  
  
Chuck put his hand on my shoulder and pushed me backward. I was still weak and fell back against the pillow.  
  
"Logan, you're in no condition to get up. Trust me, she's fine. You can see her in the morning, but right now I suggest you get some rest."   
  
The next time I opened my eyes there was bright sunlight filtering in through the window. I looked at the clock again and it read 1:30 pm. Shit, she musta really zapped me or whatever it was she did to me. I sat up and swung my legs out of the bed. I'm naked. I didn't go to bed naked, which means Jean must've thought it was necessary to strip me off during her exam last night. Her actions were beginning to creep me out. I needed to have a talk with her about appropriate doctor-patient behavior.   
  
I searched all over and couldn't find Marie anywhere. Nobody seemed to know where she was. These people kill me. Here this poor kid had gone through something traumatic, now she's apparently disappeared and nobody seemed concerned. I wondered if that lackadaisical attitude was promoted in their marketing literature for this place. Doubtful. Chuck said he'd try to locate her using Cerebro - some kinda mutant tracking device. Meanwhile, I looked for her little friends. If she wasn't with them, maybe they knew where she was hiding.   
  
I found the one who'd performed the door trick in the kitchen eating ice cream.  
  
"Hey, Fluffy, have you seen Mar....Rogue?"  
  
"It's Kitty," she said, before she shoveled in another spoonful of green ice cream.  
  
Whatever. Like I cared.   
  
"And no, I haven't," she continued, "Try asking Jubes, she's in the rec room."  
  
I stalked into the rec room and scanned it quickly. She wasn't difficult to find. That yellow she wore was like a beacon for a traffic accident. She was nonchalantly playing pool with a couple of teenage boys, Iceberg and Fireball; I think Chuck had told me.  
  
"Hey, JuJu Beans, you seen Rogue?"  
  
"It's Jubilee or Jubes. And no, not recently. Why, is she missing?"  
  
I shot Jubilee a glare that I hoped conveyed the fact that I thought that was one of the stupidest questions anyone had ever asked me. Yes, I'll take the fucking obvious for two hundred please, Mr. Trebek.   
  
I turned sharply and almost collided with Chuck.   
  
"She's at the train station. I've sent Storm and Cyclops to bring her back."  
  
Oh yeah, she's gonna be real thrilled to see those two. I brushed past Chuck before he had a chance to stop me and headed out to the garage. I found a decent looking bike and took off in the direction of the station. I walked into the crowded lobby of the station and noticed that Storm was at the ticket counter trying to get some information and Cyclops was surveying the departure schedule trying to figure out which train Marie had taken. While they were otherwise occupied, I used my tracking skills to locate her on a train bound for Winniepeg.  
  
"Taking off without me?" I asked as I parked myself in the seat next to her.  
  
"Logan!"  
  
"I'm sorry about last night. It's not exactly what I'd planned," I said as I reached out and caressed her cheek with my gloved hand.  
  
"I heard everyone was mad at me," she replied as she leaned into my touch.  
  
"Who told you that?" 'Cause I'd like to know who I'm gonna gut.  
  
"A boy at school."   
  
Who's gonna have an important body part hacked off the next time I see him.  
  
I took a deep breath. Those people were really something else. Something unprintable.   
  
"Well, I'm not mad at you and shouldn't that be the only thing that counts?"  
  
She just nodded her head yes. I leaned forward and brushed a kiss across her lips.  
  
"I'll take care of you."  
  
"You promise?" she asked, eyes all watery.  
  
"Yeah, I promise."   
  
"I don't wanna go back there."  
  
"So we won't. I have a cabin up in Canada that even Magellan couldn't find. We could go there."  
  
She smiled. It was a good smile and I smiled back. The train began to move and I saw Cyclops run out onto the platform just as we pulled away from the station, but luckily he didn't see us. I pulled Marie toward me and cradled her against my chest. I didn't need a leather suit to be her hero. 


End file.
